Surprised Ever After

Ch. 18: Disorientation

Charlotte

Summer holiday is approaching, and Chloe is so close to wrapping up her primary school years. The parents have voted for school camping for the farewell activity, and Chloe has been gushing over it. She's extremely excited because this is going to be her first time having a sleepover without her family. On the other hand, her dad hates the idea, but he can't do anything to stop her from going while the rest of the kids are going.

Since our steamy Saturday afternoon, he has been burying his head into work, as usual, probably busy marking his employees' names who aren't performing well, before he slaughters them on the appraisal day. I still remember the stress from my experience working for him a few years back, but then it also means the company gala is approaching.

"There will be a dress code in the company gala this year," Ashton says as he leans on our bathroom door, fixing his tie. We're in the middle of getting ready for the day.

I stop smearing my lipstick on my lips and shift my gaze to him in the mirror. "What's the dress code?"

"Anything from the retro era."

I raise an eyebrow. "And you're telling me now? It's in a few weeks!"

"We have enough time."

"We barely have time." I give him a disapproval scowl. "Do you have any ideas in mind, then? Style? Colors? Materials?"

He shrugs. "Anything that makes you comfortable, as long as you don't make me wear a pink suit."

A royal blue suit with pink stripes pops up in my mind. Officially, it's still a blue suit. "I'll stop by Vina's boutique tomorrow. Maybe she has something ready for you. Then I can find a gown that matches your suit."

"You can just tell her to do our outfits together. And tell her we expect it to be ready in a week."

"Isn't she busy around this time around?"

"She will make time. Losing customers like us is the last thing she wants. Does she have your measurements?"

"I don't think so."

"Too bad. You could have just called her and told her what you want. It'd save you so much time." He strides into our closet and in the next minute, he appears behind me with his blue suit on, hot as always. "You should bring Chloe too. Then Vina will have the measurements of the three of us. On that note, I'm meeting Gustav for breakfast, so I need to go now." He pulls me by the waist and leans in to give my temple a quick peck. Ashton doesn't enjoy kissing me on the lips when I have my fresh lipstick on. "Have a good day, sexy."

"Right back at ya."

As his footsteps recede in the hallway, I stare at myself in the mirror, and my mind wanders to a dangerous place.

When he asked what bothered me, I didn't tell him the whole truth. Well, I couldn't. It's not that I was lying, but I hadn't fully processed it — and I'm still not done processing it now, either. Chadrick's confession shook me a bit, but in truth, Ashton's view on marriage played a big part in it.

We've lived together for almost a year, and after the rough adjustment in our first six months, we're making progress now. I've learned to tolerate his standards, and he's learned to be more present for me and Chloe. I've also noticed how he keeps emphasizing that we are family after our last fight.

He's committed to this relationship, and that's the fact. Should I say I'm one of the luckiest girls on earth because women would kill to be in my position? I should. But then why do I keep having this question in the back of my mind? What if he finally realizes this is not the life he wants? What if the force of habits kicks him back to where he was? What if the resentment toward his parents builds a thicker wall between us over time?